Marshall Flaum dies at 85; award-winning documentary maker

Los Angeles Times staff reports

Marshall Flaum, an award-winning producer, director and writer who specialized in documentaries, died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications after hip surgery, his family said. He was 85.

Flaum won five Emmy Awards, had several more nominations and was twice nominated for an Academy Award, for the documentaries "The Yanks Are Coming (1963) and "Let My People Go: the Story of Israel" (1965). Flaum wrote, directed and produced both documentaries.

"His flair for drama and entertainment made those documentaries stand out," said his daughter, Erica, a film editor. "His view of history was very cultural and not very dry.... It was very important to him to have some kind of historical story. You always had the feeling of the times."

In addition to his daughter, Flaum is survived by his wife of 62 years, Gita; son Seth, also a film editor; two grandchildren; and his sister June Flaum Singer. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills.